Bench vise



Patented Jan. 19, 1937 omrso STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relatos to an improved bench vise, and one object of the invention is the provision of a vise mounted at a side of a workbench for movement from a clamping position against the work-bench to an extended or releasing position and having improved actuating means for effeoting movement of the jaw relative to the bench.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the operating mechanism for the jaw that the jaw will be normally held in a clamping position but can be easily moved away from the bench to a releasing position.

Another object of the invention is to permit tension of a spring which yieldably holds the ;iaw in a olamping position to be regulated and pull exerted by the spring controlled.

Another object of the invention is to provide the jaw with operating mechanism which is so constructed that it will be disposed under the work bench where it will be out of the way and not interfere with use of the bench Another object of the invention is the provision of operating means including a foot pedal adapted to be stepped upon when the jaw is to be shifted away from the bench and thus permit the workman to have free use of his hands when setting-a board or the like in place between the jaw and the front of the work-bench or-in removing the board.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a workbench with a vise of the improved construction applied thereto.

' Figure 2 is a sectional view taken transversely through the work-bench along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view showing the tensioning spring and associated elements.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an end portion of the jaw.

The work-bench shown in perspective in Figure 1 is of a conventional construction and has a top i supported by front and rear legs 2 and 3 and having depending skirts 4 and 5 at its front and back. A slot 6 is formed in the front skirt longitudinally thereof close to the top and through this slot extends the horizontal fiange l of the gripping jaw B, the jaw and its flange being formed of a single piece of strong metal and the flange carrying arms 9 which project towards the rear of the work-bench. In order to slidably support the arms and guide sliding movement thereof, there has been provided U- shaped brackets l!) which are secured against the under face of the top and straddle the arms, asshownin Figure l. By this arrangement the jaw will be mounted for movement towards and away from the work-bench and, when it is shifted away from the bench, a board or the like ll may be set in place between the flange and. bench where it will be supported upon the flange. l and be firmlygripped when the jaw is shifted towards the bench.

In order to control movements of the jaw and yieldably hold it in a gripping position, there has been provided operating mechanism mounted under the top of the work-bench where it will be out of the way and not interfere with free use of the work-bench. This operating mechanism includes a main bar 2 which extends longitudinally of the top I of the work-bench, and has links l3 and I4 pivotally connected to it. The links 13 are pivoted to the fiange I of the jaw B and the links M, which extend from the opposite side of the bar, are pivotally connected with the bench by fasteners l5. Referring to Figure 1, it will be,seen that when the bar is in the position shown the jaw will be held in a gripping position, whereas When the bar is shifted towards the left the links will be swung about their pivots to- Wards a position in longitudinal alignment with each other and the outer ends of the links I3 projected outwardly through the slot G together with the fiange 1 of the jaw. Therefore, the jaw will be moved to the releasing position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1 and a board can be set in place between the jaw and the work-bench.

By having the outer portion of the links bent, as r shown at IB, abutments are formed which engag e the inner face of the skirt 4 and limit outward movement of the links. Therefore, the extent to which the jaw may be shifted away from the work-bench is limited and also the links are prevented from reaching a.position in direct alignment with each other when the bar is shifted towards the left. A spring l! yieldably resists movement of the bar in the direction to shift the jaw away from the work-bench, and, upon referring to Figure 3, it will be seen that this spring has one end formed with an eye IB engaged through .an opening formed in the end of the bar and its other end formed with an eye l9 engaged through the eye of a threaded stem Zi. This stem is slidably passed through an opening 22 formed in a cross panel which extends transversely of the work-bench under the top l thereof between the aprons 4 and 5 at one end of the work-bench as shown in Figure 3 and carries a washer 23 and a nut 24 which, when turned by means of its tail or handle 25, will shift the stem longitudinally through the cross panel and adjust the tension of the spring.

In order to shift the bar l2 longitudinally and move the jaw away from the work-bench, there has been provided a foot treadle 26 which is pivotally connected with the center one of the legs 3 and extends transversely of the bench with its free end portion projecting under the skirt 4 and terminating in a foot engaging portion 21 so that the operator may easily place his foot upon the pedal and depress the same to draw upon the cable 28. This cable extends upwardly from the pedal or lever 26 and after being engaged with the pulley 29 is extended longitudinally of the bench and attached to a hook or equivalent anchoring device 30 carried by the bolt 3| which pivotally connects one pair of links or arms l3 and l4 with the bar IZ. Theref0re, when pressure is applied to the treadle to exert pull upon the rope or cable, the bar will be shifted longitudinally against pull of the Spring Il and the arms or links will be straightened to project the fiang e 1 outwardly through the slot 6 and shift the jaw away from the work-bench. The board l l to be planed or otherwise worked on can then be set in place between the jaw and the outer face of the skirt and when the pedal is released the spring will exert pull to draw the bar longitudinally towards its original position and the jaw will be drawn towards the work-bench and tightly grip the board. It will thus be seen that the operator does not have to use his hands to manipulate the clamp and is free to use both hands to hold the board while setting the board in place or removing it. A bench vise 32 of a conventional construction is mounted at the front of the work bench so that in case a very long or extra heavy board is being worked upon which can not be gripped firmly enough by the jaw 8, the vise 32 can be adjusted to grip this board and hold it tightly in place. r

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In combination with a work-bench having a top, front and rear skirts depehdingfrom the top, front and rear supporting legs, and a cross panel under the top between the skirts, a jaw consisting of a plate having a fiange along its lower edge extending inwardly through a slot formed in the front apron longitudinally thereof and provided with arms projecting transversely of the bench, guides secured against the under face of the top and engaging under the arms to slidably mount the same, a bar extending longitudinally of the bench under the top thereof, front and rear links pivoted to said bar and diverging therefrom at opposite sides of the bar, the rear links being pivoted to the top and the front links being pivoted to the flange of the clamp, a spring connected with one end of said bar, a stem engaged by said'spring and passed through the cross panel, a nut upon said stem adjustable thereon to shift the stem longitudinally and regulate tension of said spring, a pedal pivoted to one of the rear legs, a pulley mounted under the top, and a cable engaged intermediate its length With said pulley and having its ends secured to the bar and pedal whereby pres sure upon the pedal to exert pull upon the cable will shift the bar longitudinally and shift the flange and jaw outwardly away from the bench to an open position.

2. A work-bench having a top and a depending skirt at its front formed with a longitudinally extending slot, a jaw consisting of a plate disposed vertically and extending longitudinally of the skirt and provided with a flarge along its lower edge extending inwardly through the slot and slidable therethrough during movement of the jaw from a closed position to an opened position, a bar extending longitudinally of the work-bench under the top, a spring having one end connected to said bar, an anch0r for the other end of said spring adjustable to regulate tension of said spring, links pivoted to said bar and projecting from opposite sides thereof, the links at one side of the bar being pivoted tothe work-bench and the other links being pivoted to the flange and formed with portions adapted 3. A work-bench, a jaw shiftable towards and away from a side of the work-bench into and out of a closed position and having a flange extending under the work-bench, a bar under the work-bench shiftable longitudinally, links pivoted to said bar and extending from opposite sides thereof, the links at one side of said bar being pivoted to the work-bench and the other links being pivoted to the flange of said jaw means to yieldably resist longitudinal movement of the bar in one direction and normally maintain the jaw closed, an operating lever under the work-bench, and a cable having one end connected to said lever and having its other end portion extending longitudinally of the bar and connected therewith for shifting the bar longitudinally in a direction to move the jaw to an opened position when pressure is applied to depress the lever.

4. A work-bench, a work gripping jaw extending along a side of the bench and shiftable towards and away from the bench into and out of a closed position, a bar under the top of the bench shiftable longitudinally, opposed links pivoted to said bar and projecting from opposite sides of the bar in diverging relation to each other, the links at one side of the bar being pivoted to the bench and the other links being pivoted to said jaw, a spring yieldably resisting longitudinal movement of the bar in one direction and serving to normally hold the jaw in a closed position, and means for effecting.longi tudinal movement of the bar to move the opposed links towards a position in alinement and project the jaw away from the bench out of a closed position.

5. A work-bench, a work gripping jaw extend ing along a side of the bench longitudinally thereof and shiftable laterally of the bench to wards and away from the said side of the bench into and out of a closed position, a bar slidably mounted under the top of the bench and shiftable longitudinally, members extending laterally of said bar and pivoted to the bar and to said jaw and adapted to project the jaw away from the bench to an opened position when the bar is moved longitudinally in one direction, means to yieldably resist movement of the bar in the said direction and normally maintain the jaw closed, and manually operated means for moving the bar in the said direction and effecting movement of the jaw to an opened position.

CASWELL P. DINSMORE. 

